Comfort+ on 2020’s

I am thinking that they use a thermistor for the temperature sense, cause they are cheap and bulletproof (almost). It Is used in a voltage devider type of circuit, control wires can be thin, som thermistors come with 30 gauge wires. Some thermistors are just a chip for pc boards. More of a concern of vibration and handling.

maybe a thermocouple, produces a voltage, wires can be thin also.

my motorcycle grips and heated vest were just power on power off on the heating element. I did not have the optional temperature control.

 

One of the techs I work with installed the in cab heater in a customers vehicle. They seem like a pita to install. Personally I would spend the money on a car starter instead. The unit is going to add some warm air to the cab, won’t be enough to warm up the seats/steering wheel or melt snow of the exterior. You only need a trickle charger if you drive your truck less than once a week. Also, block heaters get installed at the dealer during the PDI. Most of Canada gets them but not all provinces, BC is one of them. Lots of people like to idle their vehicles until they’re toasty warm inside. Excessive idling builds up moister and aids in sludge. The engine, trans and diffs will warm up much faster by driving. At the end of the day it’s your truck, so do with it what you like. Just dropping some extra info.

 

Correct.

Guessing Victor Shepherd did quite a bit of idling as well (million mile tundra guy)

 

Yeah maybe the comfort + one if you are installing the plug in the bumper. But the other one you just plug it in the hole and hand the wire to your wife and then zip strip it in a few places. It took me longer to find the plug hole than to install it.

This is the one I was talking about.

https://www.ebay.com/i/170895576944...MI39arh7687AIViuazCh39WABxEAQYAyABEgLDkvD_BwE

 

I had one installed on my 2019 Tundra. It has a block heater and interior warmer that are controlled by a bluetooth app on your phone. The app allows you to have the system on, off, or scheduled. I can't tell if the block heater is always on or not, but I believe the block heater and interior warmer are only on when the system is switched on. The main reason I bought it was to get the windows heated up enough that I don't have to do a hard scraping job to get the ice off the windows, because that takes time and can scratch the windows. Trying it out for the first time as the snow is arriving in a blizzard right now. It's about -8C (17F), and the interior warmer made a big difference and I had to scrape much less and the ice that was there came off easier. We'll see how it does when it gets colder here as it goes down to -30C (-30F) and below.

 

Welcome to the forum!

Could you post some pics of the in cabin heater?

 

Hi, here are some photos. The heater and wireless hub look exactly like the one Oats87 posted the link for on April 1, 2020. It seems like the cabin heater just takes the chill off rather than heating the truck up like when the engine is running. We'll see how well it does when it gets colder. The Comfort+ system shuts off as soon as you start the vehicle and it gives you a warning if the cable is still plugged in.

 

Very cool. What kind of warning does it give you? Is it on the center display of the gauge cluster?

 

Hi, the warning is actually on the app on your phone. It would be nice if it was on the dash too. Maybe the newer trucks will have that option on the dash.

 

I optioned this on my MY21 and got the first chance to use it in some actual cold yesterday. It definitely takes the chill off in -21ºC weather. I had the preheat set for 3hrs and the inside was tolerable enough to get in, start up and drive off without having to let the truck run for 10mins. Tolerable meaning I couldn't see my breath inside the cab when I jumped in. Seems like a worthwhile investment so far

 

I don't know. Seems like a lot of money for a car warmer. My grandmother had one in her car. It was plugged in on a timer so it warmed the interior.

 

Yeah, I can see that point of view, but it's subjective. For me, it was an added cost above the block heater that includes a trickle charger and cabin warmer. It is controlled by an app on my phone via Bluetooth, all the while being packaged up all nice and OEM like

At the end of the day, it allows for a fresh battery and a somewhat toasty cabin. It'll reduce the idling time on my truck, which in turn will save fuel and arguably lessen wear and tear as a result. Will it be be a positive ROI? Maybe, maybe not

 

It doesn't actually warm the motor so your warm up time shouldn't change.

 

Yes, I realize it doesn't warm my motor. Maybe I worded that funny...it warms the cabin enough I don't have to thaw my windows by waiting for the motor to get up to temperature before I drive off. So that reduces my idling time. Motor warm up time doesn't change

 

If we want to get scientific about this, a block heater most certainly warms the motor.

 

Is the app free? I am assuming there is no monthly fee like the other Toyota connected services.

 

We aren't talking about a block heater. We are talking a interior car warmer.

 

Yup, app is free and separate from the Toyota Connected Services stuff. You do have to be within Bluetooth range to set/adjust the pick up timer and how long the heater will run for before the pick up time

i.e.- pick up at 13:00 and run heater for 3hrs beforehand

 

Gotcha, my bad

 

Hello, just an update on the alerts. I have a smart watch now, and if I start the truck with the cable plugged in, an alert comes up on my smart watch. Pretty handy. And it shows on the phone too, but the watch gets my attention.

 

After this cold winter here in Alberta, I finally pulled the trigger on the comfort + package. I bought my 21pro from BC and she doesn't come with a block heater. One day I had to drive her to work cuz wife needs to use the Honda. It was -37 plus wind chill feels like -48. She started with no problem but she didnt like it. She was MAD on the way home.

I had the dealership installed for less than 1k. One year warranty. Electricity is free at work so I ll have it plugged in and run the whole time of my 12 hour shift everyday.

I used the cabin warmer I bought from Canadian Tire on my 19 taco pro. And it is not bad. The only thing I dont like about it is that ugly cord hanging in the front. With OEM it looks way nicer. With the charger I can go with a more expensive battery later. In a long run saving the life a battery can save you lots money well.

I don't really like the fact that the block heater doesn't go directly into the coolant. So it's kind like a partial area heating which is less sufficient. But what can you do. Better than nothing. But you have to realize that your engine is always little warmer closer to the back.

Also there is someone mentioned that the cabin warmer is 12v instead of 120v AC. So that's the reason it needs a battery charger to keep up with it.

When you look at the specs, block heater pulling 900-1000w, and your cabin heater is pulling another 900-1000w. So almost 2000w when I plug it in for 12 hours straight at work cuz electricity is free and I want my max comfort. That's a heavy load on the cord

I need to check into this. If it's using 12v, I don't think it's gonna work nearly as good as the CT 120v little buddy.

 

Just checked the cabin warmer is 120v so I imagine it's sharing the AC power with the block heater. I had my truck scheduled in for Tuesday install. Will shoot some pics after if you guys need.

 

No worries about the block heater going into the coolant passage. All Toyota vehicles do it this way and for quite awhile. The bore that the block heater fits into is close to the coolant passage and with the aluminum block the heat transfers well.